Take one small step for planet Earth

Earth Day is Saturday, and we've come a long way since its inception in 1970.

Two other things happened around then to make Americans realize that, hey, maybe tossing those Big Mac wrappers out the window is ignorant and rude.

The ecology flag debuted in Look magazine on April 21, 1970, and became a symbol of ecological awareness. In March of 1971, perhaps the most effective public service announcement of all time aired on TV. It's the one where trash is thrown from a car at a bystander's feet. The camera pans up to reveal a Native-American Indian and a tear rolling down his cheek. "People start pollution; people can stop it," says the narrator.

Since then, statistics show the U.S. has improved air quality, according to the latest issue of U.S. News and World Report. Recycling programs, while imperfect, are at least a start. You can see the move toward hybrid cars. However, with reports of global warming and problems with waste disposal, there still is much work to be done and that's where you can help.

A Web site called since slicedbread.com held a contest in February in search of the best ideas to improve the country. They expected a few hundred responses. They say they received 23,000, and many of them were related to the environment.

One of the 21 finalists was 22-year-old Kate Ward, a divinity student from Hyde Park. She wants the government to stop using tax dollars to give farm subsidies to "a few huge corporate farmers." Her idea is to use that money to create a nationwide produce distribution network that can better supply stores in poorer areas of the nation.

"I moved to Chicago in July, and living in a city for the first time has made me realize how much harder it can be to eat as you should when you don't necessarily have great grocery stores near you or a car to haul everything home in," she told me. "We're lucky in Hyde Park in that we do have a farmer's market, but it isn't one you can get to if you work. And why shouldn't our food dollars go to a small-business owner instead of an agricultural corporation?"

The site is full of other ideas that may or may not ever catch on.

-- Aaron in New York wants to solve the waste disposal problem with a cost-efficient trash rocket to launch waste to the sun.

-- Sally of New York asks, "Why heat the whole house when you can just use a heated body suit?"

I have a few of my own:

-- Launching nuclear waste in Aaron's trash rocket might be dangerous, with the flames and all, so freeze the nuclear waste pools for skating rinks. (Just keep an eye on the thermostat.)

-- To reduce emissions that contribute to global warming, put those zoo animals to work: Generate power using animals on conveyor belts. It worked for the Flintstones.

Oh, sure, go ahead and laugh. But imagination is the engine of invention. Perhaps Earth Day will inspire your own idea and someday you'll be telling your grandchild, "Johnnie, they laughed at my idea, but now everyone goes to work on a solar-powered pogo stick."

Sinceslicedbread.com is run by the Service Employees International Union, which said it wanted to give a voice to average Americans. They hope you will take a look at the site, click on the ideas you care about and contact your member of Congress.

Americans typically don't respond until there's a crisis. Now's the time to get creative and take action.

Otherwise, in 2036 you may be telling your grandchild, "Johnnie, back in my day they all laughed about global warming--nobody lived underwater back then."